What It Means to Be 'Tough'

Are Allen Iverson, Bob Knight and even Lance Armstong "tough?" ESPN's Jay Bilas joins Dennis Berman to discuss his new book "Toughness."

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... eight this book but actually turned out to love it ... the book is toughness ... by J Dilla Sunday the spirit of the law Street Journal where here ... this afternoon which a balance of being ... the premier basketball analyst for ESPN ... Sinniah moment in time for the big East tournament having read the Newark City and Bikram is ... just a few days away things for joining us ... write to it ... topping this I think as defined by a lot of people means ... almost of ... of violence physical aggression ... as you read about the new book it's really something more different than its this maturity in an insert of emotional stability dose of up to a very tough this has always been a word that you've heard associated with athletic atleast I did and I don't think it was never defined for me growing up I don't think I've learned what it really was until I start plan for Mike Shatzkin and you can ... what I what I hear the term in my judgment misuse ... but that's what led me to write the book I wrote an article two thousandnine about what charges these faster than I couldn't believe it ... I wrote the article what ... this means a basketball response was unbelievable I heard from people literally all over the world when it was coaches players from grade school ... and all the way up to the NBA internet for professional teams different sports administrators educators ... soldiers ... of five were from a fighter pilot ... it was phenomenal the responsibility to believe that the subject really resonated but I think you're right it's not ... toughness to me ... isn't about being macho bravado or how much punishment you can dish out or take ... it's more about the meeting challenges head on not tricking from them ... about being a great teammate ... about being prepared being resilient ... all you mention it off there that it's really about maturity in other ways and one of the Greek people in the book that was a real influence on these cavities ... any talk about maturity being ... doing what you should do ... over what you wanted to ... embed that the real maturity is having what you should do that that is what you want to buy ... into it and I do think that's the that's a try thinking of it in the book of widespread a day was like all the stops on so try right ... we've heard it before but ... it made its my bias ... loving basketball playing basketball I have learned these lessons ... over time about ... sometimes Sobel mating yourself for that for the betterment of the team ... finding the balance between self expression and Team expression ... um ... did you find that a bike twenty six when it was in eighteen with the thirteenth was at forty ... I think I think what is the cause the learning process and learning more about this I get older ... of but I really learned in college ... when you learn what this is what tough players do you do ... and I think I'm a lot tougher person now than I use to be that we get ... the NSA coffee from Obama gaiety of the renamed solution tell me what you believe they're tough Whether postures can ... ok fair enough ... Allen Iverson ... Mittleman's is tough ... that there are times when you know that people remember that the practice to talk about practice I love that line when you when you put into the game and he he he would not shrink ... now there may be issue was he a great teammate years while the hardest workers on gospel or for that kind ... of Bob Knight ... Bob Knight is extraordinarily tough ... he's got his priorities in order ... than the message may not be delivered in the manner you you like ... but there's one there's one thing he is a very good friend ... and I and I he I love it ... but he is absolutely so maybe this one's easy Lance Armstrong ... I think Lance Armstrong is is a tough person ... I'd ... being tough doesn't mean you don't make mistakes ... I was a huge mistake what was in this series of future sex ed intentional ... wrongdoing ... by ... one thing that I do give them a tremendous Mana credit for what you think what were these backed into a quarter or not he is trying to address ... and then I think that up This isn't sort of ... you're not to have challenges you can make mistakes ... but they you're willing to self evaluate ... a year to meet those challenges head on now now resolve minds can differ as to why didn't the know with a baby may not be doing that ... but but as a competitor and that visited this isn't the same point as a competitor somebody who skirts the rules ... I'd I think you're not competing ... thus the absence of competitiveness when you when she ... gets on so so they're all on that all say he was he wasn't as tough as the persona indicated the ... other key assert his firm would not without tapas what he's going to announce the key showing shown when it ran a budget bill as ... the book is called Thomas Miyata may be down but ... I don't like did expects like it but ... you just might ... Dennis Berman Wall Street Journal ... this dress